Liberals tour fire ravaged towns

Warren Truss MHR, left, at Allwright's farm

WITH Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott fighting bushfires in New South Wales as a volunteer with the Davidson Rural Fire Brigade, Acting Federal Opposition Leader Warren Truss yesterday visited bushfire affected areas in Tasmania, including the Derwent Valley and Dunalley. While in Ellendale, Mr Truss said he was pleased the Federal Government had extended its disaster recovery payments to the town.

Mr Truss visited the Allwright’s farm where the blaze wiped out about 90 per cent of crops, including cherries and poppies, ready for harvest. The damage bill is likely to top $1 million. At the Ellendale Fire Station, Mr Truss commended the efforts of firefighters and volunteers and marvelled at both the resilience and generosity of Tasmanians. "It's obvious that the community has suffered severe losses but they're very quick in getting into action to try to repair the damage and get on with life," he said.

Mr Truss also visited the bushfire-ravaged town of Dunalley and listened to the remarkable stories of survival with locals at the pub and nearby recovery centre. Throughout the day Mr Truss was joined by Tasmanian Liberal Senators Eric Abetz, Stephen Parry, Richard Colbeck and David Bushby, as well as State Opposition Leader Will Hodgman MHA, Liberal MHAs Rene Hidding, Elise Archer, Mark Shelton and the Federal Liberal candidate for Lyons, Eric Hutchinson.

A briefing at the Tasmania Fire Service staging area at Hamilton.